Things Ralph Waldo Emerson Said

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

"The ancestor of every action is a thought."

"None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone."


"People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character."

I think I would have liked him.

Third Chakra

Just had surgery and recovery is kind of slow. I feel as if my third chakra and been yanked from my body, thrown on the ground and stomped on. Then the surgeon, brushed off the bigger pieces of floor yuck and sewed the old chakra in upside down.

Maybe, I'll feel better if I stand on my head while chanting, "a little dirt never hurt anyone!"

...and then, again, maybe not.

Self Portrait

"Mirror, Mirror on the wall....who's the fairest of them all?"

What do you see when you look in the mirror? My friend Deb has a lighted magnifying mirror and looks into it everyday. She is truly beautiful to all of us who love her and know her. We see that long blonde hair, painted through the years of personal sun-worship. Her face is a beautiful tan, natural, definitely not out of a bottle. We see a gorgeous beach girl and she sees wrinkles and pores, very large pores! Well, of course she does, what else can lighted-15x-magnifying mirror show one but that!

Now my friend Mary couldn't care less about mirrors. If she passes one quite by accident, her gait would never change but she might sneak a little peak just to make sure she hasn't tucked her skirt into her underwear (again)during her last visit to the women's room.

All the rest of us probably fall somewhere in-between. On the days I wear make-up I might sit at the mirror to do it and during the day I will check to make sure their is no spinach or brocolli bits in my teeth. There have been days where I pop into the ladies room and while washing my hands I look up into the mirror and am shocked to see that my hair is going in 232 directions and there are two pairs of glasses on my head instead of one. When I berate my companions for having not told me what a site I was, they just shrug their shoulders. I guess my eccentric-artist-look has become so much a part of me that no one questions it.

Any way, This picture is my self portrait. "What!!!" you exclaim! "You, the mandala artist did not create a mandala as your portrait?"

No, I didn't! Why? Because this portrait painted itself and told me it was me when it let me put the paint brush down!

At my age one knows not to argue with a painting.

Ingrid's Mandala

So who is Ingrid? The following is from her website:

"Ingrid Kincaid is the vision, inspiration and heart of
Beyond This There Be Dragons
Creative Alchemy Coaching

She invites you to join her in exploring
creativity, possibility and adventure in your own life.

A unique blend of wise woman and mischievous imp,
Ingrid has a twinkle in her eye,
music in her voice and love in her heart.


You might see her dressed in black leather, riding her Harley,
her wild crazy curly hair flying in the wind.

Or you could find her leading sacred ritual in a candlelit room,
dressed in skins, her totemic tattoos alive and moving.

She is equally comfortable speaking in front of
groups of business professionals.

Ingrid is a licensed real estate broker and small business owner.
Her background in sales and marketing gives her a practical, pragmatic side that blends well with her creative and intuitive nature.

She loves snowfall in the mountains, cobbled streets in European villages,
fresh ground coffee, single malt Scotch and her children."

Ingrid is definitely a Renaissance Woman. Mostly she is a good friend!

They Knew

"he followed the sun; she followed the stars; in dreams they listened closely for the beginning of all things, for that was where they knew they'd find each other"
Brian Andreas, Story People

To be nobody.....but yourself

To be nobody -- but yourself -- in a world
which is doing its best night and day
to make you everybody else -- means to fight
the hardest battle which any human being
can fight and never stop fighting.

--e.e. cummings

Lighting Another Candle